A Deadly Beginning
by RedHeretic
Summary: A year after Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector slew Nergal and foiled his plans to take control of the dragons, a mysterious figure appears in Ostia. Who is he, how did he arrive there, and what is the source of his frightening power?
1. Chapter 1: Chaos

_Are these... tears? Dripping down my face?_ It was this realization that finally brought Hector out of his horror-induced trance. He was not aware of how much time had passed, only it had not been long; Castle Ostia and the surrounding lands still burned beneath the night sky, and the scent of death and burning wood still numbed Hector's senses. As he lay on his knees on a grassy field outside Ostia's now-dead capital, illuminated by blue moonlight and fire, he let out a savage cry deep into the night. Quickly, he pulled a knife from his side. _Please, let this end!_ Without hesitation, he drew the knife swiftly across his palm. The pain and heat of his blood flowing from the shallow cut bit viciously. He did not wake up. This was reality, and there was no escape. No running or hiding would change the fact that someone - or something - had just reduced his city to cinders in a matter of hours.

There had been no warning about this. Just the previous day, Hector, Ike, and many of their old companions from the quest they had undergone just a year back had gathered in Ostia for the festival. They were celebrating the anniversary of Ostia's founding by Lord Roland, topping it all off with a feast at the castle followed by a night-time hunt. Even their old tactician had joined them! Halfway through it, he had gotten a foreboding feeling, and decided to turn back immediately, leaving the others to continue the hunt without him. Now that he was here, he suddenly realized that apart from the distant sound of fire, the area was silent. He neither heard nor saw a single human being in or around the city of Ostia. Not one word or scream. Everyone was dead. This could not be happening. He and the others had fought so hard to prevent horrors like this from happening.

Hector dared to look back at the horror before him. This time, he saw something there... a person! At first, it was only a distant silhouette, black against the backdrop of the burning city. It seemed small, not like a child but not a knight either. The shape vaguely reminded him of Eliwood as a young man, before he gained his strength as a warrior-lord. It was clear the figure was approaching him. Eventually, the figure came close enough for Hector to make it out clearly in the moonlight. The figure was covered from head to toe in masculine green armor the likes of which Hector had never seen. Across its surface were what seemed to be glowing crystals, and a large chunk of metal covered his left forearm. Last of all, he noticed the glistening, silvery blade hanging from his back, next to which was a long metallic contraption Hector had never before seen. In an instant, he understood this man was responsible. Though he did not know why the man had done it, he did know one thing: he would pay.

Whoever the intruder was, he had apparently managed to overwhelm all of Ostia, entirely on his own. There was no way Hector could hold back, not now. If he did, he would undoubtedly die. No, he had to fight harder than he had ever fought before, even harder than he had against Nergal. Before the enemy could draw his own weapon, Hector reached behind his back and gripped the handle of Armads. The intricately-designed golden axe slung across his back had been his weapon of choice in the closing battles of his conflict against the Black Fang. And though he intended to return it to the Western Isles where it was born, he had wished to wield it one last time, on this hunt. Now it would be put to an even better use. In the blink of an eye, he had swung the sword forward and off of his back. With a yell of rage, he charged the man.

Hector closed the distance in a matter of moments, swinging his axe for an overhead strike. The intruder seemed taken aback at first, but as Hector brought his axe down his reaction was impossibly fast. Before Hector was even aware of what was happening, the man's hands were on either side of the axe's head, pressing together with such force that the axe would not budge. Here, at close range, Hector realized that not all of the figure's body was covered: his helmet left the lower half of his face uncovered. It was a young, smooth face not unlike that of Eliwood back when he and Hector had first met. The face of a teenager. "Interesting," the young man said, his mouth expressionless. Suddenly, he let go of the axe and let Hector's strength drive it forward toward his face. Hector grinned. It would not deal full damage, but it was still more than capable of tearing through steel like paper. But that was not what happened.

Armads bounced back from the young man's helm, and Hector stepped back, his smile now twisted into a grimace. No damage. _Impossible. Even the fire dragon would have been cut deep by such a strike. But I will not allow this intruder to escape!_ Hector lunged forward to strike at the young man again, only to be dodged almost without effort. The enemy leapt back, nearly a dozen feet, and slid one hand over the chunk of metal that surrounded his other forearm. It was only now that Hector realized there were lights shining from the surface of the metal object. Suddenly, his surroundings were covered in a bright light, and Hector heard a sound like that of a small explosion before him. When the light faded, what stood before him was an entity unlike anything he had ever witnessed.

Standing at least three times his own height, with blue skin and a slender build, was a slim man that stared down at him with the indifference that a normal man might show an ant. He was sparsely garbed in golden and white armor pieces that covered most of his chest yet seemed to offer little true protection, and wielded both a sword and a trident. Surprisingly, Hector's first thought went to the man's smooth face. _This is no mortal being. No man, woman, or dragon I have ever seen has given off such a sense of... beauty. _And yet, this beauty was deceptive. If this being had been the young man's accomplice, then he had taken part in Ostia's destruction. This thing was a monster, as much as any of the morphs he had faced in the past. He took a glance at the treeline to his back. He could make it there in a few seconds with a proper sprint. But he could not... or would not. Hector would not back down. Even if it cost him his life.

Hector's hand went to one of the small throwing axes to his side, and in the blink of an eye, he had sent it toward the monster's head. As it brought its two arms to block the projectile, Hector rushed forward with Armads and leapt up for a strike at its stomach. He never even came close. Midway through his jump, he was struck in the side by a blow more vicious than any he had ever before faced. He felt his armor give way with ease as something tore deep into his chest, and everything began to go dark. As his body began to go numb and the world slowed around him, he was vaguely aware that he was rising up from the ground. Then, he was staring directly into the face of the being, which looked deep into his eyes with an expression not unlike a frown.

As Hector glanced at his surroundings, he immediately realized what had struck him. Hidden behind the monster's armor had been two other arms, which sat below the first two he had seen. One held a golden, razor-sharp disc. The other held a sword, which was now embedded in him. There was no question now. Hector had only moments to live. With what little energy he had left, he reached his hand out toward the beautiful being before him, as if to stroke its face. The being seemed surprised for a moment, but then slowly brought its face toward Hector. _Fool._ Focusing all his remaining energy and willpower in a final moment of defiance, Hector brought Armads up in a lightning-fast strike. The monster realized what was happening too late, and Hector caught a glimpse of the monster's face spewing blood as he buried Armads in it, only to be tossed away like a ragdoll. The world slowly spun around him for a moment, before he saw the grass rush up towards him.


	2. Chapter 2: Law

In the cool darkness of the forest, where the only light came from beams of moonlight streaming through the canopies above, Rebecca was sweating bullets. With one hand, she brushed away the green hair that was stuck to her face. With the other, she held her green-blue bow Rienfleche, while also bracing herself against the branch upon which she was perched. Only about 50 meters away stood the hulking four-armed warrior that had just made a mockery of Ostia's greatest warrior. As she stared at his body, which lay some distance to the left, she saw no movement, and feared the worst. Sweat began to bead at her chin and fall to the underbrush below. Rebecca glanced over to Lyn, who crouched behind a bush nearby, her glowing white _Mani Katti_ in her hands. There was no sweat falling from Lyn's face; only tears.

Rebecca grimaced. _Poor, dear Lyn... Her love of Hector was second only to Eliwood's, and yet she herself had ordered us to hold steady while the tactician put together a plan. I can't imagine how she must be feeling right now._ She glared back into the darkness of the trees with impatience. How much longer could they take back there? Every moment Hector lay there in the grass brought him closer to death, if he was not dead already. Suddenly, the huge warrior began to approach Hector's body. _No!_ This was the time for action. As she scanned the forest around her, she noticed various other silhouettes belonging to her comrades. Difficult as it was, she could at least make out her husband Wil, Karel and Karen, Legault, and Dorcas hidden amidst the trees. Further back, she heard the clopping of a horse. Whether it was a pegasus or warhorse like Rath's, she could not tell.

Just as she began to wonder if perhaps their tactician had given up hope and fled to save his own skin, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She nearly fell out of the tree in her fright, but when she turned she was met only with the soft face of her old comrade Matthew. And yet, it was not so soft now. The expression it wore was as grave and serious as she had ever seen. "Listen carefully, and listen close. The moment that thing reaches Hector, you unleash hell on it. Your arrows will signal the start of the attack. Good luck." Without another word, he turned and leapt down from the tree and sped toward Wil's position, landing and running so quietly Rebecca had to wonder whether he had touched the ground at all._ He should have relayed orders more often. He's not too bad at it. Now especially._

She turned back toward the field. The huge warrior was nearly upon Hector's body. _Three seconds._ Her bow-arm went up, and the other went to her quiver. She felt the smooth wood of the arrows she had brought for this hunt, and slid one out. _Two seconds now._ She brought the arrow forward, notched it against the string, and pulled back with inhuman strength. The monster's footsteps were somewhat closer now, and as it stepped, she felt its vibrations through the branch. _One second._ She aimed for its neck. Rienfleche would shoot her arrow forward faster than the eye could catch, with enough power to cleave a boulder in two. _Pray let that be enough!_ The monster finally reached Hector, the titanic sword and trident in its two upper arms prepared to strike. That was not going to happen. Not on Rebecca's watch. With precision honed through countless battles, she loosed the arrow.

Before it had even hit its mark, Rebecca had already slipped another arrow out of her quiver and set it against the string. She looked up just in time to see the arrow embed itself below the titan's cheek. At first it hardly seemed to notice, but in moments another arrow came flying out from the darkness to the left, connecting with its face but bouncing off with a loud _twang_. At once, the monster let out an angry roar, one that was quickly matched as dozens of warriors poured out of the forest toward it. There was a bright light at the monster's feet, and when Rebecca looked, Hector's body was no longer there. She smiled. _Good job, Serra. Now we can let loose._ Taking a deep breath, she set off two more shots in succession, now aiming toward her target's joints, and was only vaguely aware of the mounted riders taking off toward their enemy both below and above her.

As she fired off shot after shot toward the creature, she was dismayed to find her arrows were far less effective than she had anticipated. Though she had not been able to tell at first, the four-armed monster's quick, flowing movements as it clashed with her comrades on the field suggested her attacks had not hampered its ability to fight in the least. _What manner of monster..._ It was then that she noticed something else at the edge of her sight, far in the distance. Against the backdrop of the burning Ostia, on the other side of the huge warrior from her and her comrades, stood an armored silhouette. Rebecca stopped for a moment to gaze at the figure, and after a few moments her sharp eyes could make out several features: a strange hunk of metal on its forearm, the hilt of a thick sword sticking upward over its shoulder, and... some other manner of object she had never seen slung over its back.

She wasted no time. Turning back toward the darkness, she let out a loud whistle. In seconds, Matthew was up on a nearby branch; yet again, she was surprised by his ability to appear out of nowhere. There was no expression on his face. For one who was normally so jovial, that communicated more than any frown or grimace could. _Is Hector well...?_ She sighed. That was stupid; of course he wasn't. And all they could do now was put their hopes in Serra to fix him up. But unfortunately, that was the least of their problems. "Matthew, there's someone else out there! A warrior, with a huge sword and some weird-looking armor. He isn't attacking or anything, but he's no friend of ours, that's for sure." Actually, it wasn't for sure, but that was what her gut feeling told her. And that feeling had never betrayed her before. At first, he seemed confused, as if she was talking nonsense. She motioned him over, and he hopped over to her branch, his eyes squinting to notice the distant figure Rebecca pointed at.

"No way..." he muttered, turning to Rebecca. "By the time I got here Hector had already been facing that monster. Had he clashed with this warrior before that? I must inform the tactician and Eliwood." Without another word he scurried back into the darkness, and Rebecca was alone. Rebecca turned back just in time to see the massive warrior slowly stumble backward and fall dead to the ground, the force of its fall shaking the entire forest and nearly knocking her off her branch. "Yes!" she yelled, her cry of joy nearly drowned out by those of the warriors on the field.

At least, those that still lived. Her mood turned somber quickly as she scanned the battlefield and noted the bodies strewn about. Far more of her companions had died in this one engagement than during their entire campaign against Nergal. While a few she had seen earlier were gone - teleported out to be healed, most likely - the majority lay silent and motionless in the grass. As much as her experiences had steeled her against such, she began to cry. Though she did not sob, the tears that flowed down her face did not stop, and the sorrow she felt was unlike anything she had ever experienced. She looked up at the battlefield through those tears, and despite the blurriness of her vision she could still make out that armored figure in the distance. "You will answer for this!" She screamed toward him. Brushing the wetness from her eyes with the back of her hand, she grasped her bow, and took aim.

She never got the shot off. As she pulled back the string, she was suddenly overcome by light. There was no time for her to experience the heat and force that came along with it, before her body turned to ash and everything went dark.


End file.
